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TiVo ties with Virgin for UK comeback US time-shifted TV pioneer TiVo is re-establishing a foothold in the UK market after linking up with Virgin Media to co-develop the cable operator's next-generation TV platform. The deal comes a day after TiVo announced a partnership with Google in the US that will see the pair collaborate on expanding the online search giant's activities in the TV ad market. TiVo also reported a net loss of US$6.7m in its fourth-quarter results yesterday – narrower than analysts had predicted. A profit of US$100.7m for the comparable period a year earlier was mainly due to payment it received from EchoStar as part of a lawsuit that still rumbles on. The deal the DVR maker unveiled with Virgin at the same time will give it access to some four million customers, the company said, and will see TiVo return to the UK six years after it pulled out of the market. At one time the company had investment from BSkyB and was tied into a co-marketing agreement with the UK satellite TV company, but the latter's Sky+ DVR ultimately gained more traction in the territory. "This deal underscores TiVo's commitment to expanding its global footprint through strategic alliances with leading international media companies to help them deliver the best in-home entertainment experience for consumers," said TiVo CEO Tom Rogers. Virgin expects to have its first TiVo co-branded products available in late next year, with the cable company serving as exclusive distributor of TiVo services and technology in the UK. "The superiority of our fibre optic network combined with TiVo's capabilities will allow us to offer consumers the most significantly advanced and compelling TV service available in the UK," said Virgin Media CEO Neil Berkett. In a separate development, Virgin said today that it was launching dynamic advertising around its Virgin1, Living and Bravo channels' VoD services using technology from SeaChange International, whose subsidiary, On Demand Group, already aggregates content on its behalf. Jonathan Webdale 25 Nov 2009 © C21 Media 2009 
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